Kismet
by DeZia of Abiquiu
Summary: (AU) They say a man's destiny is controled by his past, as well as his present actions. Project 7hT-t had no true past, yet he is connected to a divine destiny that even he cannot fathom.
1. Prologue: 7hTt the Destined One

All right. This fic has been working on my mind for a while now. I needed to write some fantasy/Sci-Fi stuff or I was going to go mad, so I started to work on my options. AU One Piece won, hands down.

Everybody knows the disclaimer, right? Everyone knows whom One Piece and related items belong to. If you find _any_ mistakes at all, please tell me! Suggestions for the story are quite welcome, too.

If anyone is wondering, there might be some shonen-ai later on in the fic, and it is rated PG-13 for language and violence.

Any questions? If so, drop one in a review!

--Des

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_**-Kismet-**_

**Prologue: 7hT-t, the Destined One**

_It is said that his past, as well as the choices he makes at the present time determines a man's destiny, and that life is sacred. What is fate and what is sanctity if everything is dependent on reason and probability in existence? Can one really learn to love if they know reason as the only truth? For love, fate and sacred things have no code, no molecular structure and they run by their own diction..._

"... There. It is done..." The man put in the last code and shut the lid on the machine, smirking almost wickedly as he surveyed the small body in the plasma tank. Soon, his work would be finished and he would be rewarded.

"Do you really understand what will happen when you do this?" The bearded man rolled his eyes and let a frustrated sigh loose. It was his colleague, the one who disapproved of project 7hT-t.

"... No, but that is the reason I am doing this, correct? To better understand this thing we call life I must complete my assignment."

"I still think it isn't fair. You don't just create life from a test-tube! Even if you get the body to work, it will never have a soul!" The man's eyes flashed behind his shock of red hair.

"... Really, I thought you would be more sensible about this, you should know that the brain determines all personality! Now, then..." He moved to pull the lever that would start the machine that would create the boy 7hT-t.

"No. You can't do this, Higuma. I won't let you!" He was shoved away from the control lever by a surprisingly strong arm.

Higuma smiled wickedly again, and his eyes were alight with malice. "The way you speak Shanks, I should've known! You are a spy for those filthy, barbaric Mages! I am ashamed I didn't figure it out sooner..." For a moment, he stayed deceivingly calm and still, and then he pulled the taser from his belt and held it at the man's neck. "You Mages cannot stop Sir Crocodile! His word is absolute law here! Magic can be cracked by pure knowledge."

Shanks just laughed. "You may have knowledge, but you haven't got much wisdom."

"And not much peripheral vision, either," a voice half-chuckled behind Higuma. Stars burst before his eyes, and pain shot through the back of his head. The bearded man's body fell limply to the ground. "Eh, Shanks?"

"Thanks, Ben, but where are Lucky Roux and Yasopp?" He absently rubbed the spot that the taser had been jabbed.

"I'm over here, and Yasopp's got our backs. Shall we trash the place?" A heavy-set man came from an adjacent corridor into the lab; his Fireshooter was aimed at the tank. Shanks nodded to his accomplices, and just as they were about to smash both the research books on 7hT-t as well as the project itself, there was the sound of metal scraping against metal, then the click and whirr of a machine starting up. Higuma's laughter echoed through the lab, his hand on the flipped lever.

"You can't stop it now! Nothing can stop it now!" He cried, his eyes filled now with joyful madness.

The tank in which the body hung limply began to glow; Shanks, Ben and Lucky Roux were all far too shocked to do anything about it. Electricity webbed through the plasma and across the body of the boy, and encoded inscriptions flew across the screen mounted near the top of the tank.

Then, the controls lit on fire and Higuma spat a few choice obscenities before trying to douse the fire. Shanks punched him out of the way, thinking about letting the machine destroy itself. Crackling bolts of energy began to shoot not only within the tank, but outside of it too, and Ben ended up having to duck a couple of times. The machine obviously strained yet did not burst. The electric bolts changed from white to a strange flickering bluish color, and most bizarre of all was the fact that a haunting, almost musical wail was being produced by the gears of the machine as they spun out of control.

"Shoot it, just _shoot_ it!" Shanks yelled at Lucky over the noise. The command was followed, and the glass of the plasma tank shattered as a flaming led bullet smashed into it. Slippery water-like substance spilled over the floor, and the spies were careful to avoid it, as there was still a hazard of electrocution.

"No! You have ruined it! All of the work on 7hT-t was wasted! Damn you Mages!" Higuma's mad gaze was tainted with uncontrolled fury. He rushed at Shanks, who immediately retaliated, almost casually.

"Need some help, there?" Ben asked, crossing his arms and taking in the fight.

"Nah, I've got it!" He said as he weaved through a couple of punches. He quickly returned them to Higuma, and the fight continued.

Ben shrugged and walked over to the tank, needless to say he was curious as to what became of the boy-like body that was inside. He saw the small form, seemingly limp and lifeless among the shards of glass and torn wires. He felt a pang of guilt even though he knew that the boy was better off dead because he would've lived a life without a soul, being experimented on like a lab-rat. But he had to admit the project looked completely innocent and helpless. His body looked like that of a ten-year-olds' and his pale skin accented with a few shallow cuts that seeped bright red over his fragile-looking body. It was that blood that made Ben realize the boy was _alive_. He mused at this, thinking _A dead thing sure can't bleed_. Upon closer inspection, he could see the small body rising and falling with breath that shouldn't have been there. "Shanks! Come here!"

"I'm kind of busy, Ben..." He kicked Higuma to the ground, but received a slash across his leg from a piece of glass the scientist managed to take up swiftly.

Ben turned and motioned Lucky Roux over to see what he had discovered.

"HEY! The security guards are coming, there are too many of them for me to hold off! Are you guys about finished?" It was Yasopp. That moment when Shanks listened to his comrade, Higuma took advantage of the man's distraction and kicked at the glass-cut he had made just before.

Shanks stooped to the ground and held his bleeding leg with one arm, hissing through his teeth in agony. Higuma cackled maniacally and picked up his taser. "You die now spy!" Aiming at Shanks' heart he pulled the trigger...

But another fiery bullet caught him in the arm, and the laser-like projectile flew wide of its original target and hit the redhead's left shoulder instead. Shanks and Higuma both cried out in anguish. Higuma fell on the ground, collapsed from all the pain.

"Thanks, Yassop!" He gasped through clenched teeth. The man gave his commander a thumbs-up before ducking out of the door again to thin out security's numbers, his blonde dread-locks bouncing as he ran out. "Let's get out of here!" He tore a piece of his former colleague's lab-coat to wrap around his wounded shoulder, then another for his leg. He got up to see Ben holding the boy's body, wiping a bit of blood from under one of its eyes. "What _are_ you doing?"

"The kid is alive, sir. He just opened his eyes." Lucky Roux explained. "We can't just leave him here, right?"

Shanks sighed, he could see that his raven-haired companion was resolved to do this. "You know he won't have a soul, Ben, why the hell are you taking him?"

Ben gave him a stony look. "Come here and look into his eyes and tell me that again, Shanks. Do that and then tell me if he has a soul or not." So, Shanks dubiously walked over and took a look at the boy.

"I don't see--" He started, but he could not finish. He had seen the other less successful projects that had been destroyed, and each one of them had had a blank, lifeless stare. This boy not only gazed about with child-like wonder, but he locked eyes with Shanks and smiled. "This... It isn't possible! What happened?"

Ben simply shrugged. "You can't second guess Neptune, right? Now let's go!" Shanks nodded in agreement, then stuck two of his fingers in his mouth and whistled, wincing after he realized they were on his left hand. He held his shoulder and shrugged with his right one.

"I'm going to have to be more careful... Come on, Yasopp; let's get out of here!" He called, and he roughly limped towards the exit, turning his back on the lab forever. The man Yasopp caught up with them, asking about the boy. Shanks explained, and continued walking. His companions followed him, Yasopp and Lucky Roux helping him to walk easier. Ben walked a little bit ahead, carrying the boy and leading the way. They went as swiftly as they could, making their way through the white halls of the lab to the exit that their hovership was closest to.

"What are we going to name him, Shanks?" Yasopp asked.

He shrugged his one unwounded shoulder. "It was Ben's idea to take him, so why doesn't he pick a name?"

Ben looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Let's see... We can't call him 7hT-t, now can we? 7... Looks like a flipped _L_. And the _h_ looks like a _y_ upside-down... So, how's Luffy?" He looked down at the little boy, who laughed.

"I like that name. I can be Luffy." He said. For a moment, everybody stopped walking, somewhat shocked that he talked. "What?" He asked, giving a quizzical look to each of the four men.

"N-nothing..." Shanks said. "Absolutely nothing, Luffy. I'm Shanks, nice to meet you." They continued walking, speaking with Luffy as if he were a normal child. Shanks and his crew decided to keep the painful truth about the boy's past a secret, unaware that that past was what forever shaped the boy's destiny into something grand, something that would change the very world they lived on.

Someday, he would unite the Mages and the Scientists, as the first ever Emperor Gold Roger had so many years ago.


	2. Chapter One: Zoro the Guardian

Here is chapter two. There is some ShanksxMakino in this one, for those of you who are fans of that particular pairing. Hope you guys like it! Thanks for the most excellent review, ladyvelveeta, OPobsession and twinfin666! I do have plans for Usopp; he's going to be awesome!

I'm trying to work out the continuity for the world... I am probably going to need a name, but I don't know what to use! I still don't know if the world of One Piece has a decided name, or I would use it. Would somebody help me with that?

--Des

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_**-Kismet-**_

**Chapter One: Roronoa Zoro, the Guardian of the Secret Sword**

_The world had been torn between those who believed magic was life and those who believed everything could be proved through experimentation and reason. The Mages and the Scientists had been enemies for as long as anybody could remember. Two completely different ideals that could help the world so much were too busy fighting with each other to do so. It was so horrible, many innocents died in an almost pointless war. So many good minds and brave souls were lost... If it were not for Gold Roger, the Emperor of All Oceans, the two opposing parties would have destroyed the world in a mighty battle involving their strongest weapons. The only way he was able to stop them was an ingenious hybrid instrument of machine and magic; the now legendary One Piece._

_It has been a full century since he united the world, and it has begun to fall apart once again..._

It was a fair day, sunny and warm with tiny puffs of cloud accenting the blue of the sky. Luffy was enjoying it to the fullest by relaxing under a tall, leafy elm-tree. The slight breeze ruffled the leaves of the tree he was under, his black hair and his simple homespun clothes, cooling his sun-warmed skin. He put his arms behind his head and yawned loudly. He was thinking about the family that he had been with for the past seven years, and though they were a rather unofficial and untraditional family they were close enough. Shanks and his friends had promised to take care of him and to teach him how to get by in the world. Shanks was most like a father to him, Ben, Lucky Roux and Yasopp were sort of like uncles. They may have been constantly on the run because of their job as spies, but Luffy liked it better than staying in one spot all the time even if he didn't get to make that many other friends. There were some other people in the crew that he got along with, but he didn't know them nearly as well as the people he was proud to call his family.

He brushed the rough scar under his eye. It was one of the only pieces he had of his past that he had forgotten. Shanks had told him that his parents died in an accident and that he was the only survivor. He also explained that he must have lost his memory when that accident happened. The first thing he remembered was opening his eyes and seeing Ben and Lucky Roux standing over him, carefully removing large shards of glass from around him, and he felt pain, but not much. He remembered how guilty he had felt when Shanks had to get a cybernetic arm after the rescue, he felt like it was his fault.

He yawned again, and s he was dozing off, he heard a call from behind him. "Luffy? It's time for lunch! We're going to those temple ruins Yasopp found for a picnic." That voice was unmistakable; it belonged to Makino, Shanks' lady friend. If anything, she was his mother in the group.

"All right! What are we having?" He jumped up and dusted off his homespun blue shorts and darted around the tree to where Makino stood.

"Oh, I don't know. I think Ben went deer hunting..." She said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "We'll probably be having venison steaks."

"YEAH! MEAT!" He whooped, jumping up in the air. He ran over and hugged Makino, then grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "C'mon! What are we waiting for?" She laughed as the seventeen-year old boy led her through the stand of piñon, elm and juniper pine trees to the hovership where Shanks was waiting.

"Hey, Luffy, Makino," he nodded to each one respectively. "You ready to go? The others are on the ship already."

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm ready!" Luffy jumped up again. "Are we going to explore the temple, too?" Shanks nodded in reply. "I figured. So, let's go?"

Luffy ran up the steep gangplank to the deck of the mighty hovership, waving for Shanks and Makino to follow. Shanks offered his mechanical arm to her, and she took it, walking with him up to join Luffy. "All right, start up the engines!" He bellowed, and there were scattered 'Aye Sirs!' from about the ship. Lucky Roux hoisted up the gangplank as the 'ship lifted higher and higher into the air. Yasopp stood at the key, awaiting movement from the hovership. One member of the crew scrambled up the rigging and began to untie the heavy ropes that held the large oilcloth sails in place. The sails unfurled, and the wind caught them, sending the huge 'ship lurching forward. They turned east, and headed for Yasopp's ruins.

Luffy climbed up in some rigging on the side of the flying ship and hung off of them by a foot and a hand, closing his eyes so that he felt only the wind and the smooth movement of the ship. The speed of their travel was causing a counter-wind that made his unruly black hair whip around his face, stinging only slightly. He grinned happily, then opened his eyes and made his way up to the crow's nest to take a better look at the grand valley they had been traveling in for the past few days. Table-like mesas to the east, mountains of red stone to the west, each landform dotted with sparse desert evergreen trees and desert grasses. There was a river running through the center of it, and it was lined with cottonwoods, elms, thorny _ocotillo_ plants (as one of the crewmen had told him) and some kind of olive-tree with pale-green leaves. It was beautiful here, though it was quite different from any other place he had been while traveling with Shanks' crew of spies. At night he could hear coyotes or wolves yapping from all around, as if the different packs were communicating with each other, and at dusk bats could be seen flitting across the sky. His survey of the valley was interrupted by a call from Yasopp.

"There are the ruins; we can let down the 'ship over there!" He pointed to a crumbling ziggurat in a clearing just below them, its many steps chipped and worn by the elements and age. There was a clear spot suitable for landing, and for the picnic. Luffy's favorite pass-time was eating, as much of the crew knew well, so it was no surprise he came down from the crow's nest in a flash. He helped carry down a table and some kegs of ale, and helped set everything up.

"So, when do we eat?" The young man asked Shanks hopefully.

The redhead shrugged. "Whenever Ben finishes cooking the venison, I guess." That reply rose an impatient groan from Luffy. "We can check out the ruins while we wait, it shouldn't take too long for those steaks to cook."

"Yeah! Great idea Shanks. I wonder what's inside..." Luffy looked at the large, half-crumbled arch that led into the fortress-like temple. In the walls he could see intricate carvings of serpents and men fighting.

"These are the remains of a Skypian temple, so I bet we can find some pretty good stuff to send back to headquarters." Luffy grinned and nodded.

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's check it out!" He laughed and ran through the arch, hopping over stray chunks of broken white-granite pillars. The red-haired spy chuckled to himself, then called over to Makino to tell her where they were going.

"All right, be careful!" She answered fondly. "Don't let Luffy do anything stupid _again_." There was a yell of disapproval from within the walls of the ruins, and Shanks snickered a little.

"Okay, no problem!" He waved and strode through the crumbling gate and into the ancient ruins that he was sure held treasure beneath their rubble. He looked at his cybernetic arm and winced.

He had lost his original arm because Higuma's final shot had burned it beyond repair, and they could not have possibly gotten to a cleric in time. They stopped by a normal hospital and got it rigged up, all the while he was reassuring Luffy that he wasn't to blame. He hadn't shown his face in headquarters for seven years because of it, but without both arms he couldn't get much work done. No matter how many times Makino told him that the boss wouldn't care, so long as he was still alive he just didn't feel up to facing a Mage like this, that he would seem to be a traitor. He sighed and shrugged the thought off and began to keep a sharp eye out for anything unusual.

Luffy was far ahead of him, already running up the steps of the ziggurat-style temple. He almost slipped several times, but caught himself before he fell; it was a long way down and the stairs were quite steep. "Almost to the top..." He panted. There were certainly a lot of steps; he made note to count them on his way down. He reached the top and flopped down, dizzy and winded from the run up.

He rolled over and noticed a tiny, gold, bell-like earring laying on the granite next to him. First treasure today! He thought, smiling and congratulating himself. He was about to call shanks over, when the floor beneath him cracked. His call became a shocked cry as he fell through the unstable top of the temple. He landed, though not softly, safely, and rubbed his backside. He couldn't see well in the dim light, so he stayed in the same place until his eyes adjusted. He was in a small antechamber with an eastern entrance that was covered by fallen blocks of weathered stone.

The collapsed antechamber opened into a room that was pitch black save for a single ray of light that fell upon a pedestal in the center. Luffy's eyes became large when he saw what was on it: A magnificent crystal-bladed katana sat on a stand by its sheath. The light reflected from its faceted surface, scattering a myriad of faint rainbows on the floor. He gasped in awe of the majestic blade. He ran back to the antechamber and called loudly for Shanks to come in, but he did not know what trouble he had bought with that action.

"Who goes there? Show yourself!" Luffy froze in his mid call, his voice dropping to silence in a second. Who would be in ancient ruins except for...?

"AAUGH! A GHOST!" He cried. Desperately, he scrambled to push rocks out of the blocked doorway to no avail. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he heard footsteps coming closer and closer... How was he going to get out of this one? He thought for a moment before reverting to the obvious. "AAGHSHANKSHELPMEHELPMETHERE'SAGHOSTHELPMEAGH!" He flopped to the ground, once again dizzy and winded. A shadow loomed over him, and he whined, not in fear, but because the so-called ghost was not an actual ghost, and thus he had just wasted his energy for nothing. It was a tall man, and he wore a menacing black headband that shaded his eyes from view and held short, messy green hair out of his eyes. There were two swords belted crossways on his back, their sheaths not unlike the crystal katana's. Two earrings dangled from his left ear, something seemed quite unbalanced about them to Luffy.

"Why did you int--" He began, but was cut off by Luffy, who thought he knew what was coming.

"I'm sorry I intruded, but I just fell through the ceiling and the door over there is blocked..." He explained.

"Oh, that too. I was going to say, 'Why did you have to interrupt my nap by being so damn loud?' Usually thieves are very quiet about their business and they don't wake me up." He lifted his headband up and scowled. "The stupid thing won't stay up."

Luffy squinted at the man's earrings. He pulled the one out of his pocket to find that it was identical. "Is this yours?"

He looked closely at the gold trinket and smiled a little. "Yeah, thanks, uh...?" He picked it up and put it on.

"Luffy." He supplied with a large grin.

"Luffy. Name's Roronoa Zoro." He returned. "I heard you calling your buddy, so you can wait here until he comes. I am the Guardian of these grounds, and I don't want you to take _anything_. You and your friend must go, when he gets you out anyway."

"I understand. We thought this place was abandoned." Luffy shook his head and sighed, but then his head shot up. "Want to join us for lunch?"

Luffy grabbed his arm and shook it vigorously. "What? I--"

"There's more than enough for you to have some! Can't you stop guarding for just a little bit?"

He sighed, pushing his headband up once again. "It's my job to keep people like you from getting that sword. I will stay here."

"But how can we take the sword if we're eating lunch?"

"Luffy? Are you okay?" Shanks peeked over the broken ceiling. I was way across the ground when I heard you yell, sorry it took so long to get over here. Who is that?"

Before Zoro could talk, Luffy spoke for him. "He's the Guardian. We can't take any stuff here, Shanks, he said so." Luffy stated with a little jerk of his shoulders. "But he'll be coming to lunch with us."

"What? I never-- Oh, fine." He crossed his arms and scowled. "I suppose I do owe you something for finding my earring, so I'll come along." He pushed his headband up again, then finally retied it in frustration.

"Great, now, let me get my rope." Shanks said as he reached to his back, but Zoro waved his hand, motioning the man to stop.

"That's not needed. There's a ladder in my room; we'll meet you at the bottom of the temple." Shanks nodded and left, then Zoro jabbed his head towards the door to the sword room. "This way... Luffy, right?"

"Mmhm. So, what is that sword, exactly?" Luffy stepped around a couple of loose stones.

"That's the treasure of this place, the Wado Ichimonji of St. Kuina. Many call it the Secret Sword, because not many people have found it. I'm waiting for a true swordsman to come to claim it, but I have been at this ten years and nobody has come."

"Ooh, I did some sword fighting with Shanks and Ben--"

"No, it's only for master swordsmen!" He growled, yanking Luffy back and giving him a thump on the forehead with the hilt of one katana. "Though I shouldn't really sat swords_men_, because St. Kuina was a girl and a kid."

Luffy glanced at Zoro. "Maybe you're the one. How good are you?" He indicated the two katanas at the man's side.

"I was sent to guard this place, not to take the Sword." He said, shaking his head.

"So you haven't tried?"

"No, but it's a sacred relic for all of my profession, how could I do that?"

Luffy laughed at Zoro's logic. "If you're waiting for a swordsman to come and take it, wouldn't it be a waste if you were him? You never know until you try."

Zoro was silent for a moment as he considered. "True... Wait here for a moment." He took off towards the pedestal, and looked into the light. "Kuina, saint of swords, I would ask your permission to--"

The light blazed brighter, and a spectral image of a little girl appeared. Her eyes were slightly sad, but when they turned to Zoro they brightened just as the light had. "So, you have been here this whole time! I've been waiting, why didn't you try sooner? Oh, well, that isn't important. You may take the Wado Ichimonji if you take me along with you, wherever you go. I wish to fight again."

"As you wish." He placed his hands on the blade, and the girl faded to smoke which floated over to linger around the sword. He turned to Luffy, a wide smile on his face. "Thanks, kid. Yeah, I'll join you for lunch. Is there any ale?"

"Yeah, Makino makes the best!" Luffy had the same smile on his face, because for the first time in ages, he had made a friend


	3. Chapter Two: Guardian Entrusted

Glad so many people are enjoying Kismet! I do apologize; the last chapter was very rushed. I finished it off in about half an hour. I meant to explain the hoverships better; they are Mage 'tech' if you will. Thanks as always for the positive response!

Any other pairings besides the slight ShanksxMakino aforementioned I'll write as little side-stories.

_**-Kismet-**_

**Chapter Two: Guardian Entrusted**

_St. Kuina of the Crystal Katana was revered as the greatest swordmaster of her time. She was a prodigy in swordplay, beginning to fight when she was very young. She defended the village in which she lived until her untimely and mysterious death. She fell down the long flight of stairs to her mountainside home, and even though many people have called it an accident, many others do not believe a swordmaster such as her would ever lose their footing. Could an assassin have pushed her down the mountain? None now know the truth, but rumors tell that her sword, the Wadou Ichimonji has awoken from its half-century of sleep._

_But who would carry such a magnificent katana? It's crystal blade will only allow the most righteous to touch it, and what man has no darkness in the silence of his soul?_

Luffy introduced Zoro to Shanks and the crew, and Kuina introduced herself. Though she was a spirit, no one seemed quite surprised (after all, they were of the society of Mages, seeing spirits was fairly unusual, but not totally alien) but were quite delighted to meet the Saint of Swords herself. As Luffy promised, Zoro got some of Makino's champion ale and had to agree with the younger boy.

"It _is_ the best." Luffy made a wide grin at the swordsman's reaction to Makino's brew.

"See? Didn't I tell you?" He half-laughed through a mouthful of venison. He gulped harshly to swallow the large bite of meat, and then bit off another huge chunk.

"Hey, thanks again. I really owe you."

"Yeah, me too. I thought I was never going to get to fight again!" Kuina materialized quite suddenly, and Luffy started a little. "I picked it up from Zoro's memory, you were the one who told him to try, right?" She floated over to Luffy and looked longingly at his plate. "It sucks to be dead..."

"Your both welcome. How did you die, anyway?" Luffy inquired, but then regretted his action when the spirit fell silent. "I shouldn't've brought that up... Sorry."

"No, it's just that I'm not really sure how I died. I was going up the stairs, and then I was going down. That's it." She shrugged, making her outline flicker. "I can't wait to see you use my sword, Zoro!"

He nodded. "Interesting that I should get a third sword. I needed one more so that I could use my true style." Kuina squeaked when she received what he was thinking.

"Hwah?" Luffy cocked his head, having been left out of the mental connection he was quite confused.

He took a draft from his tankard and put it back down. "The 'Three Dragon's Swordstyle', Santoryu."

"Three swords? But you only have _two_ hands!" Luffy perched on the table with a pensive look on his face for a bit, until it seemed something dawned. "Ah, I get it now!"

"You do?" Kuina and Zoro asked in unison, the latter with a dubious air.

"Yeah, you must hold the third one with your_ foot_! That is so awesome!" He jumped around, his black hair bouncing with him. "Can you show me?"

Zoro waved his hand and Kuina stifled a giggle with her hand. "Some other time, kid."

Luffy nodded rapidly before scooping up his plate to go get more venison from Makino. "Do you want more? I'll get it for you." Luffy took off before the swordsman even answered.

"Zoro, I have to tell you something about that Luffy. I'm a spirit now, so I can sense stuff, like energy. He is surrounded by a very, very thick energy. It just doesn't seem natural,"

"Because it isn't." Zoro automatically turned his head to see who was speaking. It was the raven-haired man Luffy had introduced as 'Uncle Ben', Shanks' first mate. "He doesn't even know his true origin yet."

"Hn? True origin?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, bringing his headband lower on his forehead. "What do you mean by that?"

Ben looked around. "Eh, Luffy is coming back. Maybe I'm not meant to tell you." He shrugged his broad shoulders and took a puff from his cigarette. Zoro and Kuina remained confused until Luffy's rapid chatter made them forget what Ben had said.

Suddenly, Shanks banged his flagon on the table, making three sharp thuds. "Hey, everybody's attention please!" Obeying, every face looked forward to the Captain, and all conversation ceased. He stood upon the table and laughed. "So, Zoro, right? Where are you and Kuina headed after this?"

"Not sure. There's nothing to guard here anymore, so I'll probably just leave to somewhere I can fight." At the word "fight" Kuina glowed as she smiled.

Considering for a moment, Shanks paced the end of the table. "Ah, I know! We do plenty of fighting as we travel, and we travel constantly. What say you come with us?" Luffy's expression brightened at Shanks' proposal; he had made friends of Zoro and Kuina, and it distressed him to think that he would never see the swordfighters again. He turned his pleading eyes to them, hoping that they would accept.

Zoro mulled the idea over for a while, his dark eyes intense. "Yes, but I think I should ask Kuina as well."

"Hells yeah! I was afraid you were going to say no!"

"It's settled then! A toast, to new comrades and warriors!" There was a cheer, and none raised their mugs higher than Luffy.

* * *

Not far from the camp of the spies, the scout could hear their apparent party. He laughed to himself and prepared to return. Finding these spies would definitely please his master, the trail he had followed had shown signs that these were the mages that held project 7h-Tt.

"Just wait until my father hears about this!" He snickered as he scrambled back through the thicket. "Just wait!"

He arrived back at the outpost of Morgan the Axe, Cyborg Captain of the army of the Scientists. He was rather pleased with himself for finding such elusive mage thieves, especially ones that were so powerful. And the missing project had to be recovered for Crocodile's research plans. If they were ever going to invade Alabasta as planned, they would need the prototype for a super-soldier.

The gates to the outpost were quite menacing, all polished steel with jutting protrusions like the talons of eagles or dragons. He couldn't help but to shudder every time he entered but he soon forgot his problem as he saw a familiar blur of pink...

"Helmeppo! Where were you?" The smaller officer asked, leaning on his mop. The wet thing slipped from under him, however, causing him to fall into the bucket of soapy water at his feet. After finishing his fit of laughing, Helmeppo decided to explain.

"I was on assignment, Koby. You know, for my father. I found the Spies of Red-Haired Shanks the fire mage."

"R-really? Ar-re you sure it was them?" Koby got up and spluttered water, then proceeded to wring out his uniform.

"The figurehead of the crystal Hovership was a hawk, there was no mistaking it. Now, you be sure to mop that floor spotless or my father will be very angry with you."

Koby grumbled and continued his work as Helmeppo ascended the stairs to the lookout chamber of Morgan the Axe to report his findings. He reached the top at last, and strutted through the door. "Oh, father, you'll never believe what I found!"

"Hnn... What is it now?" A rough, basso voice inquired from behind the back of a turning throne, which now faced the window of the lookout.

"Shanks' spies, I found them!" He made sure to kneel quickly; his father was rather touchy about such things. "Eh— Great One."

"Good. You shall lead one of the troupes to annihilate the spies and bring me 7h-Tt. Dismissed."

"Me? Lead the raid? But father—"

"_Dis_missed, brat. Get going, that's an order."

"Yes fath— Great One." Helmeppo carefully rose and stalked swiftly and carefully out of the room.

* * *

Lunch at the spies' camp was extended through to dinner. Zoro watched with wonder and mild appreciation as Luffy ate plateful after plateful, one after another without rest.

"Where do you keep it all?" Kuina asked, flitting around the young man to see if he was hiding it all somewhere under his vest.

"In here!" He chirped, patting his belly. He let out a contented sigh and lifted himself up from the stool and walked to a scruffy-barked piñon tree and leaned against it. "I'm gonna' take a nap now, 'kay Zoro?"

"Yeah, go ahead." The swordsman thought about joining Luffy himself for a moment, all of that ale he drank was making him a little groggy, but he felt a light touch on his mind. It was Kuina.

"Hey, Shanks over there wants to talk to you. It's something about Luffy." Her ectoplasmic form shifted strangely in the firelight as she pointed to the head of the table. Zoro pushed himself out from the table and strode up to the Captain. He had his battered sun-hat perched on his head as if it was a crown, and he took puffs from an intricately carved wooden pipe.

"Hn? Kuina said you wanted to tell me something sir." He retied his headband again to prevent it from slipping as he spoke.

"Sit down, sit down. And call me Shanks." Zoro complied and pulled up a nearby chair, spinning it around backwards so that he could rest his arms on the back of it. Shanks continued, "Yes, I suppose since you are with us I should tell you what Luffy is." The use of the word "what" startled Zoro. "I was working in Fuchsia City as a scientist for a mission about ten years ago. I was to destroy a project to create a human through cloning. At first, I realized that the project was a total failure, none of the clones ever had a soul and they never had true life. I couldn't take it anymore, so I called my crew in and we trashed the place just after the head scientist for the sector pulled the switch to complete a clone. After I fought him, Ben picked the clone out of the glass... We named him Luffy, but the Scientists know him as project 7h-Tt.

"I still don't know why he ended up having a soul, but I think it has something to do with Gold Roger, who had similar beginnings. We haven't told Luffy yet, he still thinks we rescued him from an accident that his parents died in. The Scientists are searching for him now, and I can't let them have him. They'll treat him like a— An experiment. After ten years of living with that boy I can't let them do that."

Zoro was shocked, needless to say, but Shanks' next request explained why he had trusted the swordsman with such a secret. "You're a Guardian, right? If anything should happen, would you look after Luffy?"

"I will. I promise." Zoro offered his hand to the Captain of the spies and shook it. "I promise." After being with Luffy for just the afternoon had shown him what a good person he was. It didn't take him long to feel as Shanks did. The Scientists should not have him.

Shanks dumped the ash from his pipe and pulled out a packet of tobacco. He poured half the contents into the bowl of the pipe and stuck his finger in after it. A warm glow appeared around the rim, and smoke rose. "I'll hold you to your word." He said before he puffed on the pipe again.

Zoro's Guardianship would be tested sooner than he thought as the troupe of cyborgs marched towards the camp...


	4. Chapter Three: Parting of Ways and and O...

; Sorry, minna-san for taking sooooo long on this chapter! I promise, Usopp will be in by the next chapter. Big hint in the opening paragraphs as to who he is I have been waiting so long to put him in the story! Unfortunately, it's been longer…. Only a little less than an hour each day in business-tech class to work on Kismet .

Lotus Star: Yep, Luffy's power is the same. Read the chapter!

As far as characters go, I've got Sanji and Chopper pretty well laid out. Can't wait to put them in

Thanks as always for the positive feedback, and stuff like that!

* * *

_**-Kismet-**_Chapter Three:Parting of Waysand an Oath 

_This particular age was home to a new breed of people, the ones who wished for unity, peace and freedom for all. The Children of the Renaissance, as they called themselves, practiced magic, science and the arts, hoping to one day bring peace to the war-torn world._

_The Renaissance Movement gave much to society. Bards, painters and dancers who followed the ideals of peace and unity helped people take their minds off of the impending war. Renaissance was rumored to mean 'rebirth' in an ancient language, and there could be no better description for these people, the phoenixes of amity rising from the ashes of segregation._

The silent night was dark, a new moon hung over the camp. Few of the spies were now awake, and the group of cyborgs in the scrub oak thicket laughed silently.

"This will be far too easy!" Helmeppo scoffed.

There was silence for a moment. Then:"… Will it?"a menacing voicespoke behind the group. Helmeppo froze and turned around just in time to see a polished oak gun-handle flying at him. He also scrambled out of its way just in time. "We've been found! To arms!" Ben bellowed to his crewmates. Hewas surrisedthat the soldiers didn'tput a stop to allthesnickering and crunching that the scout Helmeppo made on his approach.

Hands reached for weapons on both sides. Kuina hadstayed hidden in the Wadou Ichimonji, but she woke Zoro from within his mind. _Get up now, there's a fight!_ She cried excitedly. _I finally get to fight after all these years!_

He jumped up andunsheathed his swords with an almost inhuman but fluid movement that brought them not only into the proper stance, but allowed the crystal bladesto clash with the enemy's steelmilliseconds from leaving the enameled scabbards. The Wadou Ichimonji glowed with a wan amethyst light, made by Kuina's very essence. Many cyborgs quailed at the mage power, but did not stop from fighting. Kuina's laugh echoed through the campground as only a spirit's could.

"There he is!" Helmeppo cried, breaking free from the entangling thicket. "Get 7h-Tt and RETREAT!" On his last word he yelped and flew out of the way of the shadow of the raven-haired mage who wielded a rifle like a club, its tip glowing with golden gaiaenergy, the mage's special magic. Ben turned to see that Luffy was still asleep in the middle of the fray, and it was Zoro fought off the cyborg men who came to get the sleeping boy. he began to make his way foreward through the melee.

Shanks, who was nearby, raised his real arm and whispered some words in the language of magic, his eyes glowing like embers. His hand burst into flame and he shot off fireballs from it, much more efficiently than the crystal-barreled Fireguns. He blew smoke dramatically off of his index finger.

"Hey hey hey!" Kuina pouted. "Those were ours!" In reply, Shanks stuck his tongue out and blasted some more cyborgs in another area. Zoro smirked and continued to fight, but that one moment of watching the Captain cost him. A soldier with metal claws for fingers caught his shoulder with the razor-sharp appendages. Blood flew from his arm, a single drop falling upon Luffy's face. Needless to say the moisture woke the boy.

Luffy opened his eyes immediately to see what had happened. The man with the claws was coming straight at him, and Zoro grunted in pain. By the crimson stain on both Zoro's arm and the claws, Luffy knew that Zoro was protecting him. Why? He couldn't let his friend get hurt for him! He prayed to Neptune that he could have the strength to fight with his friend, the strength to help Shanks. Then he decided what was to be done.He threw a well-aimed punch at the claw-man, catching him in the nose.

"You bloody debil!" He howled in rage. "You brog by node, you brad! I'b sure Borgad wouldn'd bind if I rough'd you ub a bid!"

Luffy made a rude grimace at the soldier. "What? I couldn't understand you!" He proceeded to make more faces at his enemy.

Zoro looked back. "Luffy, no!" He came to the boy's aid so fast that one would say that he teleported.Four feet of gleaming diamondran the claw-man through, just as the claws were almost at Luffy's arm. "You have got to be more careful…" Zoro said with feigned annoyance to hide his concern.

"You too, okay?" Luffy indicated the slash on his friend's shoulder that oozed blood. He quickly punched out another cyborg that came up behind Zoro.

"It's nothing, really. Just a scratch." Zoro said as he returned Luffy's favor.

"That isn't a scratch!" He exclaimed.This was forgotten, though,becausehis next enemy, an almost completely metal man,took a few more punches to down than the last cyborg."This sure isn't easy… wait… You hold the third sword in your mouth? That's so cool! How do you talk?" He spewed questions at his sudden realization.

"I've got my talents. I am a mage, right?"

This conversation went on through the battle, both fighters watching each other's backs and commenting on style. Luffy, though, began to feel the weariness of the battle start to affect him. He hadn't really had any serious training for battles, so his endurance was low. Zoro, having been through many battles,picked up on this fast and started to push himself farther, for Luffy's sake. _I made a promise, I have to keep it_! _I have to keep it…_

"Luffy, you have to stay behind me, I can do this."

"Zoro?" Luffy got the swordsman's attention. "Thanks but I can't let you get all messed up 'cause of me."

"Stupid. Let me protect you!" Zoro ran through another cyborg deftly. "You can't hold up much longer."

Luffy shook his head. "That isn't what friends do. We've got to stand together, right?" At the same time, Luffy wondered for a fleeting moment if he would make it out of this alive, but it disappeared quickly. He would make it. How else would he get to taste the new recipe for meatloaf that Makino was working on? He definitely had to live or Shanks would kill him. And Uncle Ben still had so many stories to tell him of the crew's missions.

As it was when he was created, there was singing. The battle stopped for a moment, and everyone listened and stared. It was then that Shanks knew that the singing had not been the gears, and the glow not the electricity alone.

The spirits themselves had given him a soul. Just like _him_. The _Emperor_.

Luffy was glowing, with wispy lights flying swiftlyaround him and _through_ his very flesh. His eyes were fierce in the radiant, yet cold light, and he floated at least three feet off of the ground, his black hair blown by an undetectable gale.

_Who are you?_

_We are the ones who gave you life. We are the _Akuma no Kaze

_-confusion- A-whatta no ka-whatta?_

_-_annoyance_- _Akuma no Kaze_. But perhaps you are not ready to know yet… Why have you called upon us?_

_Oh, that? I need to be stronger so that I can fight with Zoro and Shanks and Ben._

_Ah, he has asked for a power that he already has within him! –agreement- Because of the— er—particularities of your body, you can manipulate it in any way you wish._

_-confusion- How?_

_Just concentrate on what you want to happen._

_-elation- AWESOME! Thanks!_

The talk with the _Akuma no Kaze_ took little more than a split second within Luffy's mind, and once it was over he dropped to the ground and landed on his feet. Putting a hand to his cheek he closed his eyes and pinched.

"What the _hell_ is he doing?" Helmeppo screeched. "What the hell are all of _you_ doing? Get him while he's defenseless!" In his exasperation, he ran at Luffy, intent on capturing him on his own.

To everyone's dismayand surprise and Luffy's delight, he pulled his cheek out _to the length of his arm_, and then let it snap back, his head wobbling from the recoil. Helmeppo stopped in his tracks. More like he hit a brick wall, metaphysically so."I've always wanted to do that!"Luffy piped, grinning his usual wide, toothy smile. "Oh, yeah. You were going to catch me or something, right?" He asked a shaken Helmeppo.

Helmeppo growled for a moment. "Well, what are you waiting for? This changes nothing! ATTACK!" A few of the more courageous cyborgs ran with their commander, charging the ranks of the spies. The fight broke out anew, and Helmeppo was running right at Luffy. Zoro readied his swords to attack, trying to get back his concentration as best he could so that he could dispatch of the commander. Then the troops would leave…

But lo, a fist literally flew past him, narrowly missing his face. The arm was, of course, Luffy's, and it continued to stretch like rubber, hitting Helmeppo with such force that it knocked him back a ways. "I call that my Firegun Punch!" Luffy stated proudly as his arm snapped back.

Helmeppo held his swelling face and called for a retreat, and the other cyborgs were glad to oblige. There were few left anyway from the fight with the mages, and facing this new threat and the swordsman did not seem like a good idea. The last of the soldiers disappeared into the brush, and Shanks' crew let out a cheer. They had won.

Shanks, however, knew that Luffy could no longer travel with his crew. Descriptions of the boy and the company in which he traveled would be given to every scientist and every cyborg. It would be far too easy to follow a hovership full of rowdy spies traveling through pine country. Sure, Shanks knew every wily fox-dodge ever invented, but he couldn't risk it. He walked over to Luffy and Zoro, his face grave.

"Luffy," he said with some difficulty. "I need… You need… to leave the crew now."

Tears sprang unbidden to the youth's eyes. "But I… It's because of what I can do now, isn't it? I promise to never do it again, I promise."

Shanks, too, found himself nearly crying. "No, I'm proud that you can use such neat powers, but it's too dangerous to come with us now. But you can make it as a spy, right?" The fire mage reached into his cloak and drew out his sun hat; the one Makino had weaved from the grasses of the desert country. "So, I'll have to give you this. It's important to me, so I'll be wanting it back someday." He smiled, and Luffy felt a little better.

"I promise, I _promise_ I'll become the best spy ever!" He vowed, taking the hat solemnly.

"You had better." Shanks said dryly. "You sure did cost me a lot as far as food goes. Make sure that wasn't for nothing!"

Luffy nodded. "So, I guess I'll see you… whenever. Later Zoro!" Luffy was now grinning, and few were not amazed at how well both he and Shanks dealt with the situation. The way the two joked around about parting ways, even though they were very much like father and son, it was almost as if Luffy weren't leaving.

Zoro snorted. "Like hell I'm going to let you go on your own! You'll get into all sorts of trouble without me there." He pushed up his bandana yet again.

"And I just know there are plenty of people who'll want to fight." Kuina laughed, her face quite literally lighting up. "It's a good chance for us to get stronger, and to achieve our dream." An illusory sword waved about in the air, Kuina making moves as if to parry it, then puffed out of existence.

"Really? REALLY? Cool! You can be the first member of my crew of spies. See, Shanks, you don't have to worry about me with Zoro here! We'll get the best treasure ever for the boss." Luffy nodded happily. "I'll leave first thing in the morning, though, 'cause I'm beat. Gotta' get some sleep. Awful rude of those cyborgs, attacking while I was asleep." He yawned.

"Deal." Shanks nodded. It would be a long journey for the boy, but at least it would be safer. Somehow, Shanks knew that it would be destiny that would carry Luffy on through the lands, and maybe even help him bring peace to the world.

He had the heart, the courage and the power. But he had something far more important as well: a Nakama who would come through for him in need.


End file.
